In the last post, I talked about the tremendous growth of my company and how happy I was to have seen it flourish over the years. The downside, if there had to be one, however, was that I was less in touch with my employees. While we used to be a small but solid team that worked together shoulder to shoulder in the trenches everyday, today we were a spread out by size. My company had tripled in size over of the years and while this was amazing from a business perspective, I had to admit it made me miss the old days in terms of the personal relationships I had with my employees.

I had taken steps to make things better by reaching out to my employees in a number of ways and one of those ways was through the employee incentives program that I put in place. Through a rewards program, I could set and define the goals that I wanted employees (and the company at large) to reach. By reaching these important goals, employees would then be eligible to choose prize incentives from the rewards program that we set up.

The employee program has been amazing on so many levels and has brought about great change in our company. The benefits have included:

A change in morale. A bigger company is harder to gage in terms of employee morale day to day. When morale is high, however, a positive spirit pervades the entire organization and that is what we were seeing everyday.

Higher production. It’s not a surprise that happier employees mean better production. They come to work ready to do the job and they are excited about the goals they can reach and what they can accomplish both individually and as a team.

Reconnection. I had found that our employee recognition program had opened a dialogue again between me and my employees. It wasn’t just about the job anymore; we were connected through something fun and meaningful to everyone.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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We were mostly considered a dark horse in our industry; the new kid on the block that couldn’t hold a candle to the big guys - the established companies with the huge staff that had been in the game for decades. The economy, however, had leveled the playing field and suddenly we found ourselves very much in the game as companies bigger than ours closed their doors. We flew under the radar and were already operating on a shoestring budget when the economy got really bad. This meant that we were somehow able to survive and even continue to grow and as a result we were able to bring on more employees. This was when we first established our employee program; something that gave us the tools that we needed to further grow our company from the inside out. The reasons that we chose an employee recognition program included:

We were growing at a fast rate and this included bringing on additional employees almost on a monthly basis. If we weren’t careful we were going to face possible turnover. We needed to make sure that every new employee was properly trained and given the opportunity to earn incentives for a job well done.

We knew that a rewards program would give us the ability to offer incentives to our existing employees as well as our newest employees. By setting up a tiered employee incentives program we could give our entire employee base the motivation they needed to achieve spectacular goals.

We needed to be able to discuss and identify the company’s goals. With so much going on and so much growth happening on a daily basis, things could get scattered easily. Having an employee program in place gave us a reason to discuss goals and priorities and articulate those objectives to our employees.

More in the next post…

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In the last post I talked about how I had been involved with an employee program back when I worked for one my old employers. I had long since lost the passion for doing my particular job but the fact that my employer gave us the opportunity to earn prizes over and above our salary and benefits - and great prizes at that - kept me around for much longer than I think I would have ordinarily stayed. Now that I was running my own business, I had made the decision to implement an employee program. We put together those goals that we wanted to achieve in the coming year - goals that could be achieved by all levels of employees in our company - from sales figures to production numbers - and assigned particular prize incentives to each goal. As I said previously, my budget was strict at that time but it didn’t stop me from choosing interesting but affordable prize incentives for my employees. I knew that I could adjust the prizes as my budget grew; that was one of the best things about such a program.

Now, six months into the program I am here to tell you how happy I am to have made the decision to go for it. We are a relatively small company with great dreams of expansion. I want to have my core people around me to see this company flourish under their knowledgeable protection. I know the way to keep great talent is to respect and acknowledge their work and I’ve made every effort to do that - both in the way I interact with and talk to my employees and through the compensation that I offer them - their salary, their benefits, and now, the participation in our companywide employee recognition program. Putting this program into place will always be one of the best decisions I made as a company owner.

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This is not the first time I have been involved with an employee program. Back when I worked for someone else, rather than ran my own company, I was a participant in an employee recognition program. I wasn’t very happy in my career at the time, but I hung in there much longer than I think I would have because of the rewards program. I felt like my employers were at least making an effort to reward our hard work and I loved being able to win great prizes. It kept me working hard and fast even when my passion for what I was doing had long since evaporated. Now that I run my own business I always look for ways to reward the work of my employees. I know that an employee program can’t stand on its own for the long haul. Employees want to be feel acknowledged by their employers, not just a program that is put in place. I make a real effort to tell my employees how much I value their work and I pay close attention to salaries. I just felt that this method of management - combined with a really great rewards program - would go a long way towards a successful company.

That’s when I made the decision to include an employee recognition program in my day-to-day operations. I, along with my management team, sat down and identified those goals that we wanted to see reached as a company. We then communicated those goals to our employees along with the introduction of the employee recognition program - attaching prize incentives to the reaching of particular goals. In the beginning, I didn’t have a large budget so I kept the prize incentives relatively modest but still chose things that I thought my employees would like the chance to win.

More in the next post…

Popularity: 17% [?]

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In the last post we talked about some of the reasons that companies - in all industries - choose to implement an employee recognition program. The benefits can be extraordinary - to both the employees who participate in the program as well as the company as a whole. Company ownership and management are able to communicate the goals that they would like to see met; program participants are then able to work towards those goals with a clear understanding of what they stand to win by meeting those objectives. In the end, employees are recognized for their hard work with something substantial and of value. Employees who are valued are more likely to work hard for their company and are less likely to leave. The payoff for the company, of course, is a happy, motivated, enthusiastic workforce, increased production as a result, and lower turnover in the long run.

Setting up an employee recognition program, as we discussed, involves determining what goals are to be set, which employees are eligible to participate, and what prize incentives they wish to offer through the program. This all comes down to knowing your employees and picking those prize incentives that are most interesting and ultimately coveted enough to strive towards winning. Some other things to keep in mind when setting up an employee recognition program include:

The company that you choose to work with. Do you want a company that sets things up and lets you run with it? Or do you want more hands-on management; a team that can manage the day-to-day of the program? Be sure to determine what you really want and communicate those needs to any company that you consider.

Remember that a successful program grows and changes alongside a company. Don’t just pick your prize incentives and be done with it. Reexamine your goals going forward, change what needs to be changed and freshen up the prize incentives to keep employees engaged in interested.

Popularity: 20% [?]

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It’s no secret that an employee program can have an enormously positive impact on those businesses that chose to implement them. Employees themselves certainly are bound to feel as if their employer is invested in their hard work and their efforts are being rewarded by something that is more than just the standard salary and benefit package. Employee recognition programs can benefit employees as well as companies as a whole that see results in improved employee morale, higher production rates, lower turnover, and a happier, more enthusiastic workplace. So how do companies know how to choose an appropriate employee program and how do they go about implementing it into their everyday operations?

There are certainly many incentive programs from which to choose. Ultimately, finding the right program is a matter of personal choice. You need to know your company and you need to know your employees. It is up to you to choose the benchmarks for prize incentive eligibility. Do you want to determine a specific number in sales that you would like each employee to strive for? Are there production goals that make more sense in your line of business? Will all employees be eligible for the program or will only a particular group of employees at a particular level in the company? These are the details that will define your personal program.

Choosing actual prize incentives also comes down to knowing your employees. Which prizes would be most appealing to them? Which are they likely to work towards? Do you want to set prize incentives for a longer period of time or switch them up frequently? Also, obviously budget is a consideration here. The great thing about an employee recognition program is that it can be adjusted at any time to meet your needs - budget or otherwise.

More in the next post…

Popularity: 25% [?]

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Running a business - a successful business - is no small feat; it takes a team of knowledgeable professionals who are focused on a common goal. Every player on this team matters; all components must be intact for there to be true success. So, the companies that honor their employees as integral parts of the team, are doing much to lay the groundwork for success going forward. After all, how can a company be truly strong if their employees are unhappy and unproductive? Or constant turnover is an ongoing issue? A well-planned employee program - while not the only ingredient for success - can certainly be one of the more important components in a successful company.

Incentive programs are nothing new but are surely more accessible now that businesses have gone online operationally and are gathering more and more information through resources on the Internet. An employee rewards program is tailored to meet the specific needs - and budget - of each company but essentially works like this:

The company identifies particular goals to use as benchmarks for employee recognition, as well as the employees of the company - level of management, etc. - that are eligible for the program. They then choose prize incentives that will be offered to those employees that reach these particular goals. Again, the prizes are completely customized to the company - what incentives they think will be well received by their employees, as well as the cost that they are comfortable investing in the program. Prize incentives can also be adjusted at any time to reflect the company’s budget for that year or particular goals that they have set.

When employees achieve the goals that the company has set forth - sales goals, customer service, production, and the like - then they are able to choose from among the prize incentives available to them - a bonus for them, as well as the company as a whole because of the benefits that come with such an employee program. More in the next post…

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In the last post I talked about how I typically make decisions for my company based upon the longevity of particular programs. I don’t want to choose something today - implement it into our operations, invest in it, introduce it to employees - only to find out a year from now that it’s no longer viable. I felt strongly from the beginning that an employee program would afford me what I needed now in the short term as well as what my company would need in the long term. It was something that could grow with us and be adapted to fit accordingly. In the last post I asked several questions that I used to determine if a rewards program was right for us. The following are the answers to my own questions as determined through my research…

Would I be able to offer prize incentives within my budget that would still be interesting and desirable to my employees? Could I change those prize incentives based upon my budget year to year?

I learned that the employee program was exactly what I wanted it to be in terms of goals, prize incentives, and budget. The beauty of such a program is that I can tailor it to fit our needs exactly - no matter what our needs are at the time. This means that while prize incentives may be low key to start they can easily be adjusted later on to reflect our growing business and in the meantime even the lower cost incentives are interesting and exciting enough to be well received by employees.

Would an employee program have the impact I expect on company morale, production, and even employee turnover?

I spoke with other companies that had implemented an employee program and that were really happy with the results. They found that morale greatly improved and because employees were working so hard to win prizes, increased production was the benefit. Plus, employees felt like they were being recognized appropriately for their work and happy employees are less likely to leave for another opportunity.

Would I have hands-on control of the employee recognition program; to really be able to make it our own? While the vendor that we chose has been managing the employee program we are always solidly in the loop in terms of making decisions and choosing those prize incentives that are best for us. I’m happy with the relationship.

Based on this information and the way that the employee program has already been received, I know that this is a program for life - something that will continue to grow and change with us from year to year.

Popularity: 31% [?]

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When we enter into something as a company, we do it with all guns blazing. As an owner I don’t commit to something until I am absolutely sure that it will serve our purposes for many years to come; I like building long term relationships with vendors and I appreciate a product or service that can grow with us as our company grows and technology changes around us. This was the big reason that I so much appreciated the idea of an employee program. It made sense in the here and the now and it made sense for well into the conceivable future. I could see how an employee recognition program could work with our resources and our goals at the present time and I appreciated how easily it could be scaled and manipulated to suit our purposes as we moved forward. I was happy - after all my research on the subject - to integrate incentive programs into our companywide offerings.

Making the decision about implementing an employee program was easy once I had all the facts. I based my decision on what was most important to us as a company, knowing full well that as we grow we may have different short term objectives but our core philosophies would still be intact. So here’s what I looked at when I looked at the potential of a rewards program:

Would I be able to offer prize incentives within my budget that would still be interesting and desirable to my employees? Could I change those prize incentives based upon my budget year to year?

Would an employee program have the impact I expect on company morale, production, and even employee turnover?

Would I have hands-on control of the employee recognition program; to really be able to make it our own?

This and more was answered in my research. More to come…

Popularity: 29% [?]

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In the last post I talked about how we had put an employee program into place three years ago in our company that was - at the time small but growing. We felt that by giving our employees something that was above and beyond the norm, we could inspire great things from them that were also above and beyond the norm. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. Employees have loved the employee recognition program since its inception and have given us great feedback over the years that let us know that we have done the right thing in making such a program available. Further, even if we didn’t have that feedback we would be ensured that the program was a success based on our low turnover rates and increased production. Our employees were thrilled to have the opportunity to work towards prize incentives based on their own merits and achievements and they were equally happy that we continued to grow the program over the years as additional funds became available. We showed that we were always committed to the program and that our success as a company translated to bigger and better prizes.

Now that we were expanding the company and opening offices around the country, we were absolutely committed to bringing our rewards program on the road. We had no doubt that a company wide employee recognition program would only fuel our success and we were happy to introduce it as a standard employee “perk” in the opening of our additional locations.

As we had expected, the rewards program was just as well-received in our other offices as it was in our headquarters. Plus, we had the benefit of already running a successful program. We could introduce the employee recognition program with authority and confidence and we will continue to do so throughout the lifetime of our company.

Popularity: 36% [?]

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